Rebecca DeWald, Emerging Translator Mentorships Programme Manager said:

‘We are embarking on yet another exciting mentorship year, working with eight mentees from across the globe and linguistic spectrum, from India to Iraq, Brussels to Berlin and Budapest, working in Arabic, Dutch from Flanders, Faroese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish and Marathi. We are particularly delighted to highlight underrepresented languages in English translation, such as first-time mentorships in Dutch from Flanders and Marathi, which will doubtlessly add to enriching the literary landscape in the UK and beyond.’

Each mentee will be matched up with an experienced translator for a six-month period during which they work together on practical translation projects, developing their craft through working on a chosen text or texts.

Founded in 2010 by writer, editor and translator Daniel Hahn, and organised by the NCW, the Emerging Translator Mentorships Programme has so far supported more than 140 translators working across 37+ languages.

Alumni of the programme have also gone on to feature on prize lists and been awarded major awards, such as Nichola Smalley, whose translation of Andrzej Tichý’s Wretchedness won the 2021 Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize and was longlisted for the International Booker Prize, as was Reuben Woolley’s translation of Andrey Kurkov’s Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv. Or Sophie Hughes, whose translations of Alia Trabucco Zerán’s The Remainder and Fernanda Melchor’s Hurricane Season were shortlisted for the 2019 and the 2020 International Booker Prize, respectively. Most recently Kate Webster’s translation of Urszula Honek’s White Nights was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024.

Quaid Cey, the recipient of the Dutch from Flanders mentorship said:

‘In my application for the Emerging Translator Mentorship (ETM), I joked that I wasn’t so much “emerging” as “crawling out from under a rock,” and that still feels true. Books and languages have always been my bread and butter, but it wasn’t until two years ago that I first heard the term “literary translator,” and it wasn’t until July 2025 that I finally tried to become one. Joining Kristen Gehrman’s Literature from Flanders Workshop at the 2025 BCLT Summer School marked the beginning of a truly exciting adventure, one I’m eager to continue with my ETM mentor, Jonathan Reeder.’

Mohini Gupta, first-time mentor for the Languages of India strand, said:

‘The response to the Emerging Translation Mentorship Programme at NCW under the Languages of India category has been phenomenal, spanning languages from every corner of the country. I was especially heartened to see proposals from less dominant and non-standardised languages, and across genres ranging from short stories and poetry to graphic novels and prose. Choosing just one project was no easy task, and I hope to follow the journeys of many others in time. I remain deeply grateful to the Charles Wallace India Trust, whose steadfast support continues to nurture translators working across Indian languages year after year.’

The Emerging Translator Mentorships Programme is supported by Arts Council England, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Flanders Literature, FarLit, the Literary Translation Institute of Korea, Lithuanian Culture Institute, the Charles Wallace India Trust, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Polish Cultural Institute, SALT at ALTA and the Society of Authors.

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